News Brief

12/29/2011, Tevet 3, 5772

Bill: Religious School worth Military Exemption

Girls who are interested in an exemption from service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the basis of a religious lifestyle will have to make a declaration that they learned in a religous school, accompanied by written confirmation from the institution, under a bill by Member of Knesset Yisrael Hasson (Kadima). Hasson says the measure was rejected twice in the past because of pressure and threats by the coalition's hareidi-religious parties, who claimed that it harmed the status quo, even though the IDF supported it.

He added that Knesset members Moshe Matalon (Yisrael Beiteinu) and Miri Regev (Likud) were co-sponsors in the past, but because of coalition discipline and the government decision to vote against the measure, they chose to be absent during the votes.